Real Wedding

Kirsty and Tom’s Wedding at Botleys Mansion

Finding the venue

After attending serval weddings over the years Kirsty and Tom were very clear on what they wanted when it came to their big day, a country manor-style wedding venue. Having exclusive use of the venue was key to the couple as they wanted it to be their own, and not to have to worry about contending with other events or members of the public at the same time.

“We instantly fell in love with the venue when we entered the gates at the end of the long driveway and knew this was the one. I immediately got butterflies.” – Kirsty

The inspiration

After falling down the Pinterest rabbit hole, Kirsty became engulfed in wedding detail ideas. The couple decided to focus on what mattered to them and what defined them as a couple.

The flowers

Having lots of flowers throughout the venue was a nod to Kirsty’s Grandma, who loved flowers and often created floral decorations for the local church. Falling in love with the grand Atrium staircase, the couple felt having a floral arch to frame the entrance for both their guests and themselves to walk through was perfect. Using the couple’s pink and green theme, Harper Partner Sonning Flowers created stunning arrangements, both large and small to dress the venue, including the flower girl wands.

“Find ways to include personal touches in your wedding that link to you as a couple and as individuals. It’s the little touches that make it special. A wedding is a celebration of your love and those little quirks or interests are what makes it special, so include them in your big day.” – Kirsty

Reception decoration

Hiring large light-up letters of the couple’s initials, from Harper Partner, Veo Events, made the evening reception feel personal and special. They looked beautiful glimmering at the bottom of the Atrium staircase.

As a bride with a sweet tooth, Kirsty knew there would have to be a candy cart on their big day. They hired the cart from Harper and ordered some personalised sweet bags from Etsy. The cart was “a definite hit” said the couple.

The attire

After falling in love with a full skirt satin dress in Bakewell Brides, Derbyshire, the wonderful seamstress sewed Kirsty’s Grandma’s wedding ring on the inside of her dress near her heart, so she would be with her on the day.

Googling colour scheme suit ideas, the couple quickly decided the modern royal blue was a definite favourite, which complemented the pink bridesmaid’s dresses beautifully. Finding a suit in the chosen colour proved harder than expected, but the couple persevered and eventually found the dream 3-piece suit from Suit Direct.

The planning

Planning during the pandemic created some difficulty for the couple as they had to order a number of things online, rather than purchasing items after seeing them in person. That said, the Harper Planning Team were always there to lend a hand and do anything they could to help, and the online Harper Planner was a “real bonus”.

“Harper helped make it a lot easier. They all made an effort to make us feel at home when we visited, whoever was there on the day, and they had no problems answering all of our questions along the way (there was a lot!).”

Looking back

On the big day the planning and hard work really paid off, and the couple had the best time celebrating their love and 13 years together, with their closest family and friends. The personal touches made it even more special, including the photo reel in the entrance hall, the personalised Happy Tears tissues, and the neon ‘Happily ever after’ sign.

“They [Harper] gave us the wedding we had dreamt of and couldn’t thank them enough.”

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